Local herbalist Timothy Lee Scott of Watercourse Way has written an important new book on a controversial subject — the medicinal value of invasive plant species. The book, Invasive Plant Medicine, is controversial because the conventional ecological wisdom regarding invasive species is that they are bad and must be eradicated. Scott turns this thinking on its head with a bold assertion: invasive plant species, he argues, are uniquely suited to treat invasive diseases, including cancer and Lyme Disease.

Scott invites us to take another look at invasive plants such as japanese knotweed, purple loosestrife, and russian olive. They may be alien, and rampant at that, but this doesn't mean these plants are 'bad', or deserve to die horrible deaths from Round-Up poisoning. As a matter of fact, Scott finds a compelling reason to make peace with these species — their value in treating many of the diseases of our era, which Scott characterizes as invasive in themselves. These include Lyme and cancer, herpes, HIV, TB, and parasites, among other unfun and hard-to-treat ailments.

Compiling evidence from a variety of sources, including the experience of practicing herbalists and naturopaths, Scott documents the medicinal value of a variety of weedy species. Approximately half the book consists of an extensive and detailed pharmocopeia of invasive plants with full descriptions of properties and uses.

For this alone, the book would be useful but Scott takes it further. The book is also a philosophical argument for peace among species. Citing our war-like language with regard to invasive species (the science of which is called "invasion biology"), Scott argues that attempts to reverse natural processes such as plant migration are doomed to failure. Rather, he argues, we should work to make sure our natural environment is healthy enough to withstand "invasion" by alien species. As it is, toxins and other environmental stressors have weakened many of our native plants, which are now are dying off and being replaced by more vigorous aliens such as loosestrife and the ubiquitous japanese knotweed.

Rather than reaching for the herbicide, Scott says, humans should be learning from and making use of the new plants propagating in our areas. One example is japanese knotweed, whose growth, Scott says, directly correlates with the spread of Lyme Disease in the northeast. Scott's mentor Stephen Buhner, an herbalist of deserved renown, uses this plant to treat Lyme and Scott also uses it in his herbal practice.

But japanese knotweed is a plant with many properties, being antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer, as well as potentially preventative of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and hormonal issues such as osteoporosis. Interested yet?

The book covers in depth over twenty other common "weeds," many of which have equally amazing therapeutic properties, especially for medical problems where modern chemical medicine has little to offer. And best of all, you don't need a medical degree to follow the text.

Timothy Lee Scott will be talking about his book, Invasive Plant Medicine: The Ecological Benefits and Healing Abilities of Invasives, at Everyone's Books this Friday night from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. Scott also takes clients at his healing practice, centered at his herb store and healing center Watercourse Way on Elliott Street in Brattleboro.